I get mine changed every 2 months. My nurse does it in the morning while
I'm still in bed. This nurse has been doing my trach change for the past 2
years, and my previous day nurse 2 years before that. I was the first
person either of them had ever done it with. It goes really well and I
don't feel it most of the time.
One thing I might do different is we use xylocaine. First rub some around
the stoma a few minutes before the actual changing. Also put some around
the new trach before it gets inserted. The xylocaine acts as a lubricant
and also numbs the site. It's by prescription so ask your doctor. That how
the RT did it when I was in rehab and I've done it that way since.
Jim Lubin
http://www.eskimo.com/~jlubin
http://wwp.mirabilis.com/1524784
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